And try as they might, they can't score tries, but that's being churlish. The No 1 rule about rugby is that you have to score more points than the opposition.

The final scoreline is infinitely more important than the try count. If it wasn't, Wales would be in the semi-

finals!

No one could say England didn't deserve to beat France yesterday. They did - they played to the elements and had the better game plan. Tries are part of rugby, obviously, but the weather put paid to those hopes.

It's fascinating that both form teams in this tournament have been beaten in the semi-finals. New Zealand and France looked capable of getting to the final, but fell at the final hurdle.

You didn't have to be a brain surgeon to guess the final four, but I'm not sure there would have been a lot of money on an England-Australia final.

But to their credit, they've made the final - without setting the tournament on fire. Both France and New Zealand did, but they're going home.

And what a wonderful match-winner Jonny Wilkinson is. The mark of a great side is one which can win in many different ways, and England proved that yesterday.

In the 15-man game, you have to depend on a number of individuals, and obviously they depend on Wilkinson, but that's ignoring a great game from their pack.

They pressured the French into making mistakes, and that - perhaps even more than Wilkinson's superb goal-kicking - led to the English win. It was simple tactics, but performed brilliantly.

The Tricolors got rattled, and out came the yellow cards. Olivier Magne, who has been outstanding in this Cup, was visibly upset with the way the game was going - long before the England had the match in the bag.

The win - and Wilkinson's three dropped goals - must go a long way towards easing a lot of the pain from 1999, when South African Jannie de Beer dropped goals from all over the place to knock England out of the tournament.

New Zealand's performance reminded me of their last two World Cups. They were by far the best side in 1995 and really fancied in 1999, but just couldn't get over the line.

Unfortunately for a great rugby nation, they are earning the unenviable title of 'chokers'.

The Wallabies have had one of their worst seasons in years, but you can never bet against them in their own backyard.

The way the semi-finals were played didn't come as a surprise. By their very nature, they are defence-oriented matches.

There's so much pressure, that talented sides like New Zealand and France are wary of throwing the ball wide in case it all goes pear-shaped, as it did when All Black Carlos Spencer through a wide pass, only to see it get intercepted by Stirling Mortlock who ran 90 yards to score a crucial try.

The final is a very tough match to pick - there are no clear favourites. Both sides have reached the final with exceptional defence, and therein lies the key to the outcome.

Australia have been in this position on several occasions and we all remember their win at the Millennium Stadium four years ago.

It's a mouth-watering prospect to watch these two countries compete for the title of world champions, especially given the mutual disrespect - for want of another term - between them.

This will be a bit more than just winning a World Cup. There is no love lost between these two fine sporting nations and there will be a real edge to this already tense match.

I just hope the final is a match to remember for all the right reasons.